Meditation

MEDITATION. - A form of mental prayer (v.) in which the soul, through the attentive consideration of the truths of faith, moves the will to the good and to the fervor of the spiritual life. It is not a purely intellectual speculation, but an exercise essentially ordered to the perfecting of oneself (St. Francis de Sales, Théotime, 6, 2). In meditation almost all the interior faculties are employed: the memory, which presents the matter on which to meditate; the intellect, which investigates its nature and properties; the will, which produces corresponding affections and resolutions.

I. OBJECT OF MEDITATION

The object of meditation is the truths of faith, suited to moving the soul toward the good; purely theoretical inquiries belong rather to study than to meditation.

In general, any subject that is suited to the purpose of urging and strengthening the soul in the virtues is good, according to the saying of St. Paul (Phil. 4:8). Such subjects are found especially in the Gospels, in the liturgy, and in the writings and lives of the saints. Jesus Christ with his teachings and examples, the attributes of God, the prerogatives of Mary Most Holy, and the eternal truths are the most recommended subjects (N. Lancitius, Op., 2, n. 181; J. Alvarez [v. bibl.], III, 3, prooem.). It is fitting to seek out what is most suited to one's conditions of life and spirit, to each person's needs and inclinations. It is advised to ensure that meditation corresponds as closely as possible to individual needs, since there is such a variety of souls: some are moved by abstract truths, others by examples, and it can be useful to vary, provided that one frequently returns to the fundamental points that truly inflame the soul (C. Schorrer, Theol. ascet., part 3, 5th series, ch. 1).

Meditation is one of the most effective and necessary means for the development of the interior life and for sanctification, because it accustoms the spirit to know supernatural truths in an intimate and personal way, while it guides it to God or makes it live in a divine atmosphere. Indeed, meditation disposes man to taste and understand heavenly things, the beauties of Grace and of the virtues, and the mysteries of the Redeemer, and it helps him to transform himself by acquiring mastery over his own senses and acts. Therefore it is recommended by all spiritual masters, particularly to those who have the obligation to strive for a more perfect life. The CIC prescribes it daily for the clergy (can. 125, 2) and for religious (can. 592), and Pius XII affirmed such use to be "irreplaceable" for priestly perfection (Allocutio ad parochas Urbis, in AAS, 35 [1943], pp. 105-16; Adhortatio: Menti Nostrae, ibid., 42 [1950], pp. 671-72).

II. METHODS

Meditation is an ascetical practice that over the centuries has taken on more definitive forms (P. Pourrat, La spiritualité chrétienne, III, 6th ed., Paris 1927, p. 8 ff.). Already in the early Middle Ages methods for meditation began to appear, choosing determined lists of subjects to be meditated upon progressively (Revue d'asc. et de myst., 6 [1925], p. 367 ff.). Thus did St. Edmund of Canterbury, the Dominican William Peraldus, St. Bonaventure (De triplici via, ch. 1), and Blessed Raymond Lull, who spoke of the use of the various powers of the soul "ratio, synderesis, conscientia, voluntas, memoria." The "devotio moderna" (v.) introduced and spread new, more systematic methods of mental prayer, rendered more necessary by the decay of the interior life, with the advance of the pagan Renaissance, and the various "scalae" and "exercitatoria" belong to this period. After the invention of printing, books of meditation were widely disseminated. At the end of the 16th century, through the Rosetum of Mauburnus (1494), who had established that meditation be made on determined points (meditabilia puncta), successive clarifications followed, especially through the Spiritual Exercises (v.) of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1556), and methodical meditation reached a culminating point in its evolution (P. Pourrat, op. cit., III, p. 34). The opposing currents of the Alumbrados (v.) and of Miguel de Molinos (Denz-U, 1238-40), who despised discursive meditation, and also of Fénelon (ibid., 1341), who considered it of little value and as belonging to "interested" love, were condemned by the Church.

The difficulties raised, even recently, against meditation generally stem from a false concept of method. Some critics, on hearing the terms reflections, affections, resolutions and colloquies, fear that such a procedure is mechanical and prevents souls from freely following the movements of Grace. But it is easy to demonstrate the necessity of these elements for every meditation to be fruitful prayer. Reflections and affections alone, without resolutions, would be of little help in acquiring perfection. Affections without colloquies, that is, without prayer of petition, would deprive the soul of the surest means of obtaining the Grace to maintain the fruits of its considerations and the resolutions themselves, as well as of that intimacy with God which is nourished by trusting and filial expressions. Conversely, one who contented himself with affections and colloquies without intellectual reflections would not have those deep convictions about religious truths that must be the support of the whole spiritual life. Therefore St. Thomas says that the cause of devotion, after the Grace of God, is meditation, that is, the intellectual consideration of the truth of the faith (Sum. Theol., 2a-2ae, q. 82, a. 3); it is a work of persuasion, of assimilation, of deepening.

Nevertheless it is certain that the acts of the will are more important than those of the intellect, and therefore more affections are needed than thoughts. All spiritual masters affirm that when the will is moved, the work of the intellect must cease, since the end has already been attained. Reasoning will be resumed when the affections begin to languish. Generally it is recommended to avoid haste, but to accustom oneself to linger in the affections until the heart is entirely filled with them. The affections may be expressed vocally in the form of ejaculations, born spontaneously and recited slowly and thoughtfully; or by using formulas already in use in the Church, such as the verses of the Psalms or of the liturgy. Some authors, given the importance of such affections, propose various lists of those most useful to the spiritual life, classified according to the needs of beginners, the proficient and the perfect (cf. J. Alvarez [v. bibl.], pp. 933-1183, 1185-1220).

As for resolutions, one must ensure that they are practical and such as truly serve for the amendment of life and the acquisition of perfection; particular, that is, circumstantial as to the occasions on which they must be carried out; adapted to the present state of the one meditating; possibly to be executed at once; supported on solid foundations, that is, on strong motives of reason and faith, and not on passing enthusiasms or fleeting consolations; humble, that is, based on distrust of self and on the conviction of the necessity of invoking God's help through prayer. It must be remembered that one should not exaggerate the importance of resolutions to the point of judging every prayer that does not formulate them useless; he would also err who believed he must make new resolutions each time; often, instead, it is fitting to reaffirm the same ones for a long time, until they have been really put into execution.

III. TECHNIQUE

As for the "technique" of meditation, there is great variety in the different schools of spirituality. Generally all agree on a work of remote and proximate preparation. The meditator disposes himself by recollection and then by the reading of the points to be meditated, done by himself or heard from others; then he places himself in the presence of God, to whom he addresses a prayer, ordinarily vocal, offering Him the meditation and asking for grace to carry it out well. There follows the properly meditative work on the chosen subject, which ends with colloquies or prayers intended to ask for some grace relating to the subject meditated and especially to the resolutions made, or even of another kind. Such colloquies are very useful also in the course of meditation and are addressed to God, to the Most Holy Virgin, and to the saints.

A special form of meditation is, first of all, "repetitions," meditations done over completely, with the intention of drawing new fruits from the same subject, whether by dwelling only on those points in which one had previously been more fervent, or in the manner of a summary, or by a bird's-eye view running through an entire series of meditations or mysteries already considered. This technique forms souls deeply acquainted with the spiritual ways.

Moreover, most efficacious are the "contemplations," or exercise of the powers of the soul no longer by way of reasoning, but by way of examples, observation and intuition; a method not to be confused with acquired or infused contemplation (v.). Such contemplations are ordinarily made on the mysteries of the life of Jesus, supposing oneself to be present and to observe them with one's own eyes, with a vivid imaginary representation. One contemplates the persons, the words and the works with the aim of being instructed and edified with some spiritual fruit; of this manner of prayer there are many examples in the meditations on the life of Jesus by Fra Giovanni de Caulibus (falsely attributed to St. Bonaventure, X, Quaracchi 1940, p. 23), in the works of Thomas à Kempis, of Ludolph of Saxony and in the Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The latter (Exerc. Spir., 2nd week, Applicatio sensuum) and also St. Bonaventure (Itinerarium mentis in Deum, ch. 4), have also spread a third form of contemplation, called "application of the senses," having one employ the five imaginative and spiritual senses, that is, inducing one to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch internally the sacred persons, places and things, according to determined norms. Thus, for example, to taste the spiritual fragrance of virtue, the sweetness and gentleness of the love of God, the nausea and disgust of sin, of the worldly spirit, etc. Such a form of prayer nourishes the sentiments of complacency, of enjoyment and loving delight for the Divine Redeemer, for the virtues, and is a method particularly profitable when it accompanies the preceding ones (F. S. Calcagno, Ascetica ignaziana, I, Turin 1936, pp. 208-15).

Finally, for persons who have less capacity in spiritual things, the use of meditated vocal prayers is recommended, that is, said with due pauses, in which one reflects on the various meanings of the individual words or phrases, or the meditation and pondering of the sense of some scriptural passage, and also the repetition many times of the same ejaculatory prayer, or of different ones in a certain order, as the Savior Himself gave example (Mt. 26, 39; cf. Lancitius, De causis et remediis ariditatis in oratione, ch. 2 and 14) and the Church in the invitatory of Matins, and innumerable saints.

Arnaldo M. Lanz